The Irish standard., 1887-10-29
a Sermon by Father Oorbett.

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sermon delivered last Sunday by Rev.
Father Corbett, at the Church Of the
Immaculate Conception:
When thinking men cast a glance at
the workings of individuals in the var
ious spheres of life, what alarming SEN
tinents spring up in their minds. The
intellectual world is sick. The creature
rot unrarsly puts to bad use the gifts
Of the Creator His faculties he yainly
EN- ploys as instruments of destruction
to annihilate, here below, the work Of
the Creator. The Divine attributes are
being denied; an over-ruling Providence
is being denied; yea, more, Gods very
existence is being denied, both by the
lips and pen Of mortals. The strength
Of the human intellect is being used to
foster passion, to honor vice, to spread
corruption by poisonous writings that
tend to give empire to mans inferior
nature. And what is more, deplorable
individuals, under the mask Of Gods
ambassador, may be classed among his
enemies. To keep alive the human con-
cern, a Revolutionary monk, invented a
few centuries ago, they amusingly attack
the truth by sophistry. But logical
arguments, and not empty assertions,
convince tha human mind, whose object
is the truth and only the truth. The
moral world is sick. The youth grows up
ignorant OF its duties towards it's neigh
bor. its country and it's God. Virtue is
vanishing in the very sanctuary Of So
ciety, the home, matrimonial fidelity,
and parental obedience. Respect OF
rights, without which a nation shall
crumble; safety for purity, without
which society is doomed to destruction,
and honesty in commerce, all are dimin-
ishing. The political world is sick.
The prospect OF success for our grand
republic was once all but gloomy. Our
forefathers rightly congratulated them
selves OF having founded the best gov
ernment under the sun. But Of late,
to far-seeing N n, there is a foretaste
Of evil. Respect for authority ana fra
ternal love are decreasing, and distnc-
tion Of nationality, the mother Of fac
tion, is auglnenting. Whence comes
the cause of these evils? The essential
cause is a lack Of union between
creature aud the Creator. Nation and
individual imagine they can get along
without Gods Intervention. the
sacredness OF tins marriage tie is med
died with. Men lack guiding power.
God is kicked out Of the schools. Where
is the remedy? Is Ii simple secular ed
ucatiop? No, IntelIsgence alone will
not force men Go do rjght-~professional
criminals are often educated. Knowl-
ledge and virtue must go hand in hand
to make well-meaning men. Is civil
authority remedy? No, civil author
ity has NO Jurisdiction over tue heart,
the throne of crime and rebellion, it re-
CARDS but external actions. is Protest.
antism a remedy? No. Religion
worthy of the name mus5 come from
God, but Luther gave birth to Protest.
ant,sm. Religion, to be efectuai. must
be stable. but Professionalism is annu-
ally dividing and suit -diyiding, aud
thus constituting religious anarchy.
Professionalism shall, Of necessity, dis
appear, for division is death. Protest.
antism is pcwerless to direct the human
conscience. for it has NO fixed doctrine
for acceptance, no real belief, neither
does it possess efectual means to stop
crime. AS long as men conserve an
exterior satisfactory to toe world, al
is we'll Professionalism is au enemy 10
the American republic, because spring
ing from revolt, it is naturally the
mother of disunion. Where, then:
is that power of which the world
is so much in need Of: That power is
the Roman Catholic church, the pillar
of truth, the friend of morality and the
American republic. Convince man Of
Che existence OF hell and heaven;
convince man of the instability of all
| things, if God be absent, convince man
of the strict obedience he owes the laws
of Goo and the laws of his country,
and then the world will go on we'll.
And such is the constant preaching of
the Catholic church. Society needs not
only learned members, but also con, ci-
entious members. The church, there
fore, unites religious and secular educa-
tion, From tue beginning, as Il careful
mother. she places the child in a religi-
Gus atmosphere, where the voice Of daty
to God and man echoes in its suscepti-
bIe ear. The Catholic church, alone,
reaches the rY fountain head of NOR.
atty. tie human heart, and this through
the confessional. Here she cures evil
in it's root: here she vindicates the
claims of justice. Ill g,tten goods
must be restored, or no pardon. Here
she thunders against infantlcid the
damnable evil Of the day, both to
country and to God. Here she speaks
to the rulers as well as the ruled. The
master and the servant kneel here to be
corrected and instructed. Yes, parents,